


A Drop of Heart's Blood

by awildlokiappears



Category: Original Work
Genre: Couples Doing Couple Things, F/F, F/M, M/M, Smut and Fluff, Vampires, healthy relationship, mostly fluff for the moment
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-11-23
Updated: 2014-11-23
Packaged: 2018-02-26 17:15:11
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,779
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2660018
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/awildlokiappears/pseuds/awildlokiappears
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Kate wasn't looking for much when she went to the bar that night, just a few drinks, maybe some casual flirting, and a couple games of pool to clear her head. The handsome vampire with the protective streak was just a bonus.</p>
            </blockquote>





	A Drop of Heart's Blood

"Forceps." The heavy metal was slapped into her hand with ease, and she sighed behind her mask, hoping that the blood wasn't soaking through the stolen apron. Her...'partner' raised an eyebrow, and she just shook her head a little, focusing more on the guy in front of her. She disliked showcasing her skills like this, but someone had to fix the damage the dipshit had done to himself, and it had to be her, unless they wanted to risk getting arrested...and just no. But the guy across from her seemed to understand her a little better than most; the next thing he said nearly made her laugh.  
  
"You know, I'm rather surprised that this isn't making me hungry." She grinned behind the mask and finished putting the left lung to the side. Her erstwhile partner in semi crime here was, oddly enough, one of the night crowd that haunted the town; an honest to God vampire, fangs and all.  
  
"Yeah? Is it the fact that there's organs strewn about in this jerk's body cavity that's setting you off from the blood?" He huffed out a faint laugh at that, gold-hazel eyes glinting with amusement, and held out his hand.  
  
"Nah, I think it's mostly because he's a jackass. Clamp, please." She passed it over, waiting for him to clamp off the battered artery, and checked to see that the guy's vitals were holding steady; they were, thank God, and now came the harder part...most of the damage from the pool cue had been to the lower valve of the heart, and it was going to be a bit tricky.  
  
"Oh good, I like a sucker with a little depth to him. Hold his heart, I need to get to this valve..."  
  
"Sure, but please don't call me a sucker; it's a bit derogatory." He held it up without a qualm, but his eyes...they darkened, just a little, but it wasn't with anger, or annoyance. It was a sadness that made her feel incredibly guilty; he had done a lot to help make sure that this guy would survive, outright carrying him to the hospital and smuggling them both in through the back entrance...and she'd just insulted him. /Crap./  
  
"I'm sorry...it's just a phrase we use around here. I guess we don't think about it much? I didn't realize it came off so badly." She murmured as she fixed up the torn muscle, daring to loose the clamp...  
  
"It's fine, honestly. It probably shouldn't bug me, but...oh good, the heart's pumping again." They were both distracted now as they put the guy's lungs back in place, checked his vitals again, and she sighed, smiling now.  
  
"Valve fixed, now let's put his ribs back together." He chuckled faintly and with a slightly sickening pop, pulled the ribcage back together, waiting patiently as she wired him up. His strength was incredible, now that she was close to him, and though her hands were busy zigzagging the wire around the bone, careful to keep the musculature from getting caught...Well, her brain was clicking over his forearms, muscled and veined, the big biceps hidden just under his rolled up sweater sleeves...Didn't matter that his skin was pale as moonlight, nor that he had cute, nineties spiky hair with the blond highlights. She even liked the little goatee he had going on. Damn.  
  
"So, when did open heart surgery become a Saturday night thing? And in a stunning blouse and denim combo, too." She bit back a grin, glancing up at his glimmering eyes as she finished tying off the wire and tested the strength of her work for a moment. Oh, two could play at that game...  
  
"When this dipwad decided to screw around with a pool cue and try and take down the vampire who was hitting on me. Smooth moves, by the way. And where exactly did you learn how to work in a man's chest like that?" He laughed softly and helped lay the rest of the guy's muscle and skin back over his newly fixed body.  
  
"Medical school in my former life, though I never graduated beyond corpses." She very nearly facepalmed; the ichor on her gloves was all that stopped her.  
  
"There's a joke in that."  
  
"Oh, you have no idea. Alright, he's breathing and beating; I'll start cleaning things up if you'll stitch, then I'll treat you to a proper drink." That sounded fantastic.  
  
"Deal." She put her considerable skill to work and stitched the guy up neatly as he took care of putting all the instruments in the sterilizer, cleaned up the floor and the counter behind her, then stripped off his own gloves and mask to start filling out the medical chart they'd stolen as well. Using the guy's wallet, she noticed that not only did the vampire get him put down as a new patient, but he was describing the incident, the procedure used, and so on and so forth...and then he glanced up, grinning, his eyeteeth looking almost boyish.  
  
"So, we're going to need to leave him here." She chuckled and finished up the stitches, then got to work bandaging him up.  
  
"So I figured. But how do we convince the doctors and nurses?"  
  
"Leave that to my mesmer. I'll go and do that right quick; think twenty minutes is a enough time to get him bandaged up?"  
"Should be, yeah. But I'll need your help pushing him into a patient room; I'm a strong gal, but he's still got a good hundred pounds on me."  
  
"No problem. I'll be right back." He left the surgeon's coat and cap on as he slipped out the doors, and she continued working, ears open for anything that might go wrong...but no, he must have had a good deal more luck than either of them had expected, because she was done and getting out of her own surgical gear when he returned, the coat and cap discarded somewhere on the line, his handsome red sweater and dark jeans hugging a trim body. She grinned as he set the chart on the bed, and attached the IV to it.

"I take it all went well?"  
  
"Amazingly so. There's a male nurse coming in ten to get him, so I suggest we skedaddle before he gets here, and get that drink?" She smiled again and scooped up her wallet and keys; he opened the door for her, and ten minutes later, they were stepping out into the cool November night, walking back towards the downtown. He gave a little laugh as they paused to wait for the light, and she glanced up at him, curious. He only smiled.  
  
"We just opened up a guy's chest to save his life, and I didn't even ask your name." She smiled softly, enchanted a little by his sheepishness.  
  
"...Katherine Union. Katie or Kate for short." His face split in the sweetest smile, and he offered his hand.  
  
"Jonathan Harker. Jonny or Jon, usually."  
  
"Oh, that's ironic."  
  
"I know, I'm a living joke some days." He laughed a little as they continued on, and Kate just shook her head.  
"So, you're not actually the Jonathan Harker, right?"  
  
"Nope, just very ironically named. Nor am I as old as most of the vampiric ones you'll find around. I'm just a baby compared to them."  
  
"Yeah?"  
  
"Yup. I'm only thirty-five, my master transformed me seven years ago."  
  
"Damn, that's still older than me by a few years." He blushed; it was cute to see, his cheeks went so faintly pink she wasn't sure until they passed under a street light.  
  
"Yeah...let me guess, twenty-one?" She tossed her head back with a hearty laugh at that.  
  
"I'm flattered but oh hell no; I'm twenty-nine."  
  
"Seriously? Damn..." He laughed a little now too, and they walked in quiet peace for a little while, sharing the occasional glance before he piped up again. She liked him; he wasn't grasping for words, or worse, just trying to get into her pants.  
"So, let me guess, final internship or...?"  
  
"Actually yes. I'm in my last six months for thoratic surgery."  
  
"Which explains how easily you were moving around in that asshole's chest."  
  
"I would hope so."  
  
"Seriously, that was some amazing stuff to watch. You'll be a damn fine surgeon." It was her turn to blush now, but she felt the compliment warm her to the core. He looked so earnest too, it was so damn refreshing...and it might have been stupid as hell, but she liked him. She liked him a lot.  
  
"Thank you...that really, really means a lot to me. So, about this drink...how would you feel about coming back to my place instead?" He blinked, looking surprised, and she blushed a little. "It's not every day I have a guy, vampire or not, help me save the asshole who tried to hurt him, and make me uncomfortable...then compliment me, honestly, and share my sense of humor. And I'll be honest with you; you're cute." Jon grinned at that, and offered his hand; this time to hold, and she took it without question, smiling widely too.  
  
"...Well in that case, I'm honored. And if we're gonna have drinks, I'd be happy to order pizza."  
  
"Oh yeah? Well I have a couple new movies I haven't watched yet."  
  
"That sounds fantastic. Lead the way, Miss Kate?"  
  
"...Just Kate. For you only though." He grinned wider now, and dropped a chaste kiss on the back of her hand before squeezing it gently.  
  
"Deal."  
\---  
As it turned out, as far as Jonathan was concerned, garlic was for the Stoker novel and so was the typical blood lust; they discussed this over reviewing her collection of monster movies, and he was happy to provide her with the actual details of modern vampirism. It was...oddly interesting, and she was happy to let him tuck an arm around her shoulders as they worked through the bottle of wine and a large ham pizza. His fingers idly traced her shoulder as he sipped his wine, their attention split between one another and the TV screen before them.  
  
"...like, there is a blood-need; we all have it, but it's not a blood lust sort of thing. We can work around it, we can eat regular food, but in order to flourish, we need that burst of heme at least once a day."  
  
"So, like a vitamin?"  
  
"Basically, yeah. That's what I do; I get dehydrated pills from my master, and take two a day. I've never had any issues with any of the cravings, and I think the one time I found myself fanging, I chewed on a raw steak for a few hours and I was fine."  
  
"...Fanging?"  
  
"It's what the masters call it when a new vampire gets the need to sink his or her fangs into something, but isn't really hungry."  
  
"...Like needing a chew toy?"  
  
"Mmhmm. No one's sure why it happens, and it's only ever new vampires, the ones that are barely weeks old...It doesn't usually last longer than a year, though I've known a few who've had it happen at the two year mark. But never past that; I think it's a natural repulsion of the body, myself."  
  
"Wow...So...can I ask about your transformation?" He paused, the wine glass barely resting on his lips, and his eyes closed for a moment. She swallowed, and tried to backtrack. "Hey, don't worry about it, it's not an issue or anything..."  
  
"...I want to tell you. I do. But...I think it's wiser that you don't know. We're not like the Anne Rice vampires, or the Twilight ones. We're...well, to be perfectly honest, we're reborn as hunters...and only the fact that we found an alternate source for sustenance has kept the human race safe. Most of the older ones...they only drink blood. Or the blood substitute that's available...but they hate that. I want to tell you the truth, because I think of all the people I've met, you might just understand...but I also don't want to risk your safety."  
  
"...Because of your master?"  
  
"...And my fellow vampires." She felt the anger rise in her chest, wanted to tell him she could protect herself...when his eyes caught hers, full of sadness and honest worry, and the rage melted. She'd only seen vampires a handful of times; you were more likely to see succubi and incubi around the bar and club scenes these days, and the odd fae. The vampires...they lurked in the dark alleys out back and well...She'd seen his strength already.  
  
And it scared her to think that there were those more powerful.  
\---  
Earlier that night...  
  
"Hi there." Kate glanced up at the tall guy leaning against the wall opposite her, his eyes glinting in the faint shadows beyond her pool table's lamp, a beer lazily held in one hand, the other tucked in his pocket. She gave him a faint, friendly smile, and shot the seven ball home; he let out a long, low whistle, eyes now on the game between them. She grinned and took her time shooting the rest of them into the pockets, making every shot a hustler's move, just for kicks. He was grinning now too, and as she put the eight ball away, he toasted her with the half-empty bottle.  
  
"Let it never be said that a woman isn't a dude's equal at the billiard table. I'll be damned if that wasn't the best match I've seen in a long time, and I'd hate to go up against you."  
  
"Oh, I dunno, I wouldn't mind an easy game or two to relax with." He laughed at that, eyes crinkling in honest mirth as he came over to her, letting her reset the table.  
  
"Oh, an easy game? I'm not that sucky!"  
  
"Prove it then, hotshot." He grinned wickedly now and picked up a cuestick, offering her the cue ball as she slipped the triangle off of the newly set balls.  
  
"Ladies first." She smirked and settled it on the little patch on the green felt, then broke the set with a satisfied smile, tossing her long, dark waves back as the one, five, nine, and ten balls all went into three different pockets. His eyebrows shot up in surprise, and from there, it was a spirited game of solids and stripes, both of them hustling the other flirtatiously. Katie was really getting into the game now, her stress from the morning not standing a chance in the wake of a truly challenging game of pool and some handsome company.  
  
The guy in question looked a little like a boy-band singer, with the spiky, blond-tipped short hair and the nice sweater and jeans...hell, even his glasses looked good on him. It was ridiculously unfair...but judging by the way his eyes glanced over her curves, and the way he smiled into her eyes...well. It made her feel really good. And through it all, he never once touched her, save for one tiny brush of his fingertips over the back of her wrist. It was electrifying, that single touch, and she'd paused, trying to catch her breath. He'd paused too, looking a little concerned, and she only shook her head and smiled.  
  
"Sorry, it's been quite a long time since I've had this much fun with a guy, and felt good about it."  
  
"...On one hand, I want to say that's great that I'm fun...and on the other, I want to kinda punch whoever made you feel bad." She blushed at that, her dark skin reddening, and he reached up, so gently touching her cheek. His fingers were calloused and warm, soothing almost in their roughness, and she leaned into his touch, eyes closing. "...You are so beautiful."  
  
"Mmm, flattery is much appreciated it."  
  
"It's only the truth."  
  
"Hey, suckerhead!" The guy stiffened, what color in his pale skin draining away, and Kate opened her eyes, confused now.  
  
"Don't pay attention to him..."  
  
"Suckerhead, I'm talkin' to you!" He grit his teeth, and her eyes widened as his canines elongated, grew sharper as his teeth flashed, and he must have seen her shock; a look of absolute shame crossed his features, and his warm hand fell away, leaving a cool spot where he'd been. She was already reaching for his hand when the drunk asshole came between them, brandishing a pool cue. Around them, the other patrons were creeping out the doors, plainly wanting to avoid whatever bloodbath awaited this dumbass...and still, the guy tried to take on the vampire, swinging the cue now.  
  
Her pool partner...the vampire...he avoided the spear-like weapon with ease, his speed clearly far greater than the idiot trying to 'protect' her...and she growled a little now, pushing past him to throw her arms out, leaving her wide open, but protecting the vampire. Whatever else he was, he'd been honest with her, to a point, and he'd been nothing but complimentary and a sociable fellow. And maybe he did have ulterior motives, maybe he was looking to get laid or get his sucker on, but she didn't care; in any case, he hadn't so much as put a hair out of place on her, and this guy...he wasn't even listening to the vampire now, who had been doing his best to calm the guy down.  
  
Of course, she had to throw herself out between them just as the pool cue came whistling down; she braced herself for the blow, for the pain...and blinked when it never came. Two muscled, gorgeous arms strained the dark red wool of his sweater, reaching over her shoulders to stop the cue. He growled a little as the guy before them went pale, and she realized that she could feel the vibrations, he was pressed so close to her back. It made her shiver a little, but not with fear...  
  
"I said, back the fuck off, you asshole. She wasn't being mesmerized, I wasn't trying to suck her dry or whatever sick thing you have in your fucked up head. We were enjoying a nice game of pool, and a little casual conver-fucking-sation. So will you kindly take your head out of your ass and leave us the hell alone!" He snarled now, the cue starting to splinter from the force. Drunk dumbass just made a face, and pushed harder on the cue; if she hadn't been watching, she would never have seen what happened next.  
  
The cue snapped jaggedly in two, and the lower half, where the vampire's hands had been, jammed up...right into the left side of the moron's chest. There was a faint whistling sound, and her eyes went wide with stark terror; that was a punctured lung, at the very least...and dark blood dripped down the polished wood, the guy standing there, stark still...though it was clear he was about to fall down.  
  
"Fuck." Came the hiss behind her, and in a blink of an eye, the vampire had him mostly draped over his shoulders, groaning faintly from the weight, those curious eyes flashing gold now at her. "I don't suppose you know of anyway to save a dumbass like this without getting arrested?" They were damned lucky the bar was deserted now; she swallowed and glanced around, chest tightening as the distant wail of the police cars started to grow louder, lights flashing beyond the doors to the east.  
  
"I do, but we're going to need a surgery."  
  
"Yeah, gathered that one...alright, c'mere. This isn't going to be fun, but we don't have the time to wait." He offered his other arm, and for a moment, she faltered...until she saw the darkening stain on the drunk guy's shirt, and swallowed the fear, letting him wrap his arm around her waist...and in another blink, they were speeding out the back doors to the west, time seeming to stop as he carried them both toward the backend of the hospital...thankfully, not the one she was currently interning at. That would have been awkward as hell...And then they were in a surgical suite, clearly closed down for the night. He settled the guy on the table, and turned to her, eyes wide and a little afraid now, and she felt herself stand a little taller.  
  
This was her forte.  
  
"I don't know what to do..."  
  
"That's okay. I do."  
\---  
Kate sighed a little, feeling Jonathan's eyes on her, and she turned her head to meet his gaze, her own uncommonly solemn.  
  
"...I understand. And I don't mind. I really don't. There was a part of me that wanted to get all pissy and say that I could handle it...but I'm not that naive."  
  
"No, you aren't. You're a smart woman, you know there are some battles you can't fight. That I can't fight. And yeah, okay, we've known each other, what, six hours tops?"  
  
"And we've hustled pool against one another, gotten into a drunken fight, saved the drunk from almost certain death, and now we're eating pizza and talking about the powerful elders of the night."  
  
"...I'm rather fond of the way you cut through things."  
  
"Thank you, it's a talent." He smiled at her now, a real, honest smile, like the ones before, and she bit her lip a little, daring to lean into his shoulder. He responded by wrapping his other arm around her waist, hand stroking her hip, tucking her close with his arm about her shoulders. She melted into his strength, eyes closing a little...and she didn't even mind when his lips brushed over her temple.  
  
"...Can you forgive me for not telling you at first?"  
  
"...Yeah. Were you going to say anything?"  
  
"Only if you asked...but...I just..."  
  
"Wanted to be normal? I get that, Jonathan...Jon. I do." He laughed at that, a sad, sad little sound, and she leaned up to kiss him this time, lips soft against his. He melted into the kiss, all the tension in his upper body seeming to fade under her weight as they sank into the couch cushions together, his long fingers stroking so gently through her hair. And he was a good kisser too, if a little out of practice...but his fangs never poked her lips or tongue, and he was anything but overpowering. They separated together, and he leaned his forehead against hers, so gently nuzzling his nose to her own, smiling so shyly it made her beam.  
  
"Thank you, Kate...thank you."


End file.
